


end of the line

by onlyeverthus



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Character Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5331944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyeverthus/pseuds/onlyeverthus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS calls Rose back to Bad Wolf Bay for one final goodbye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	end of the line

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before it was announced that the Doctor had infinite regenerations, so the character death refers to the Doctor dying at the end of his last regeneration.

Rose opened her eyes and frowned. The music was still playing, the music from her dream, and she sat up, gazing suspiciously around the room.

Unable to discover the source of the sound, she reached over and prodded his shoulder. He groaned into the pillow, and Rose poked him harder.

"S'too early," he mumbled, voice muffled by his pillow.

"Do you hear that?" Rose asked.

"Hear what?" he mumbled, already drifting back to sleep.

"Listen!" Rose said urgently. The room fell silent, except for the music, and Rose glanced back at the Doctor. "D'you hear it?"

"All I hear is you," he said, turning his head and grimacing at the clock, "at 7:17 in the morning. Rose, it's Saturday, go back to sleep."

Instead Rose pushed the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I've heard it before," she murmured, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "It's music... a song... it's so _familiar_."

She felt movement behind her, heard the creak of bedsprings, and he was at her shoulder, suddenly awake and staring very intently at her.

"What does it sound like?" he asked.

Rose closed her eyes and began to hum, stopping only when the Doctor touched her shoulder.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked.

"It's the TARDIS," he replied, his voice faint.

Rose frowned. "But if it is... why can't you hear it?"

"Because she's not calling me. She's calling you."

*****

They stood on the beach, huddled against the bitterly cold wind. The waves crashed and the wind carried the spray towards them, showering them in a freezing drizzle. Rose pressed herself close to the Doctor and he tightened his hold on her, rubbing her back.

Suddenly they heard it, a sound so familiar that the pang of nostalgia they felt seemed to burn between them. They watched the blue box materialize and once it was solid, waited to see if he would come out.

After a couple minutes Rose looked up at the Doctor, confused.

"I think you should go inside," he said. "I'll wait out here."

"Are you sure?" Rose asked, concerned for him and though she didn't want to say it out loud, a little frightened for herself.

"Go on. You'll be fine." He flashed her a smile and kissed her forehead.

Rose turned, pulling her jacket tighter around her as she started toward the TARDIS. She placed her hand on the door and took a breath before giving it a push. It creaked open and the sound was once again so utterly familiar that Rose paused a moment to collect herself.

She stepped inside, carefully shutting the door behind her, and peered around. It didn't look much different than the last time she'd been inside, but it had also been quite a while.

Apart from the quiet humming of the TARDIS herself, the ship was silent, almost oppressively so.

Rose moved forward, her steps tentative on the grate, until she reached the console platform. There he was, slumped on the floor, leaning against the railing. His grip on the sonic screwdriver, his only weapon, was tight and his face was wary.

As he saw Rose however, the features softened, his lips curving in a surprised smile.

"Rose," he murmured and she noticed now the labored breathing, the sheen of sweat on his unfamiliar face.

"Doctor?" she whispered, brows knitting together in concern.

"It's me. New face to you, of course."

"You're ginger," Rose said, walking towards him slowly.

"Yeah, finally! Took long enough." He grinned and then coughed suddenly, covering his mouth with his hand and wiping it on his pants. It left a red smear.

Rose's frown deepened and she dropped to her knees, realizing the hand not clutching the sonic screwdriver or covering his mouth was pressed against his side, partially hidden under his coat.

"Doctor, what's happened?"

He waved his free hand as if to indicate it was nothing and Rose scowled.

"Don't do that," she said, leaning forward and pushing his jacket aside, lifting his hand.

She gasped at the blood stain on his shirt, still wet and spreading even as she looked.

"What happened?" she asked again as she released his hand.

"Saved a planet, got shot for my troubles," he replied, grimacing as he shifted. "I'm dying," he added nonchalantly.

Rose stared at him, stricken. "But... but won't you regenerate?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm all out of second chances. End of the line for me."

"But it just doesn't seem fair," Rose said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I've had a good life, Rose. It's been quite a while for me since I saw you last. How long has it been for you?"

"About ten years." Rose sniffed, trying to ignore the pain in her heart.

"Have you still got him? The other me?"

Rose nodded. "He's outside. He didn't seem to want to come in."

"I'm sure he knew what this was, why I was here."

He fell silent and Rose stared at him. His face as a whole was completely unfamiliar to her, but there were individual things that told her who he was. Blue eyes the same shade they'd been she first met him. Thin lips that curved into the same smile he'd given her after he changed.

Rose reached forward and took his hand. The fingers that curled around hers felt different, but it was the same warmth.

"You'll stay with me?" he asked, his voice fainter now than it had been just a few minutes ago.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, of course I'll stay."

"Not long now," he murmured. Rose held his hand, unsure of what to say, knowing in her heart that this really was the end and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

"Rose," he said softly and she looked up at him. "I need to tell you what you deserve to hear."

"You don't have to," Rose replied, feeling a tightness in her chest.

"This really is my last chance to say it," he said and smiled a little sadly. "Rose Tyler, I love you."

Rose gave a little sob, lowering her head for a moment in an effort to control herself. She felt his hand squeeze hers and she took a breath before looking back up at him.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling as best she could through her tears. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, the skin cool beneath her lips.

She sat back on her heels and held his hand as they sat in the silence of the room. Rose could almost hear a clock ticking in her head and then it slowed, slowed... and he was gone. She stared at him a moment, still holding tightly to his hand, and the weight of everything settled on her. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as she raised his hand to her lips, squeezing her eyes shut for just a moment before she carefully lowered his arm and gently released his hand. She stood and walked to the door, pushing it open and stepping outside.

He was there waiting, her Doctor, watching her, his eyes curious and concerned.

"He's gone," Rose said simply and dissolved into tears as her Doctor pulled her to him, holding her tightly as she cried and the TARDIS sang a lament that echoed in their hearts and in their heads.  



End file.
